Patrick Mills has become the third Australian to win the NBA title after putting in an astounding performance for the San Antonio Spurs on Monday - but he could just as easily have become an AFL star, his former PE teacher has revealed.

The 25-year-old also became the first ever indigenous player to take home the NBA grand prize, after his impressive appearance alongside Queensland team-mate Aron Baynes at the AT&T Center, San Antonia.

Spurs scooped a 104-87 win over Miami Heat, helped in huge part by the 17 points Mills scored in his triumphant 18 minutes on the court.

He scores: San Antonio Spurs' Patty Mills celebrating after hitting a three pointer over the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas

Well done: San Antonio Spurs player Patty Mills of Australia hugs coach Gregg Popovich on stage after beating the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals

The 6ft player, who was born in Canberra, shot a barrage of three-pointers in a five minute stretch.

And the Australian star blew past NBA American heavyweights on the court such as LeBron James.

For anyone who watched Mills on the court, he might have seemed like a born basketball player.

But his former PE teacher at Marist College in Canberra has told MailOnline the talented sportsman could have just as easily been an AFL star.

Mark Winchester taught Mills in 2002, while he was in Year 8 at the school.

Celebrating: On the left, San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (right) hugs Spurs' guard Patty Mills after a play against the Miami Heat. On the right, Mills runs across the court after Spurs win the NBA title

Mills played rugby until Year 8 and then switched to AFL.

It wasn't until the age of 15, that he started really focusing on basketball full-time when he was selected for the ACT U-18 squad to compete in the Australian National Championships.

A year later, at the end of Year 10, he had to leave Marist College behind to attend the University of Canberra Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra, as it was much closer to The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).

Mills accepted a full-time scholarship with the AIS, which had previously developed Golden State Warriors player Andrew Bogut, when he was 16.

Multi-talented: Mills was a great dancer, athlete, rugby and AFL star when he was a teenager at school in Canberra, his former PE teacher said